The Princess of Aenya received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Nick Alimonos.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
The Princess of Aenya was published in December of 2019.
What’s the book’s first line?
The book opens with a poem, but the first line of Chapter 1 is:
Radia loved to watch the morning creep in from beneath the moon, the sunlight washing the dark gray shadows from the mountains to reveal their emerald glow.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
The very best fantasy epics defy categorization, and if I were to reduce everything that goes on in The Princess of Aenya to just a few sentences, I would be doing the book a disservice. But on the surface, the story is about a princess, Radia, forced to flee from her home when her stepbrother instigates a violent coup and seizes her throne. Only a foreigner from a distant land, Demacharon, remains loyal to his oath to protect her. As the story unfolds, Radia is revealed to be much more than a naïve youth, and we learn that her only protector harbors a terrible secret for which he seeks redemption. At its core, The Princess of Aenya explores the intersection between empathy and sadism, love and hate, death and rebirth.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
The seed that started it all was actually a Dungeons & Dragons game I played with my kids. But there are many elements that went into The Princess of Aenya, from my unusual religious upbringing to my love for fairy tales. I want to point out that I have always preferred classic storytelling to modern fantasy. Too many books these days feel hollow, with everything happening on the surface, without any deeper meaning attached to it. I wanted to buck that trend, to return to the romantic literary tradition. I want my readers to come away feeling like they’ve been challenged in some way. Specifically, I wanted to explore whether, in the worst of times, self preservation prevails, or our caring for one another? Or to put a face on it, “What if Snow White suddenly showed up in A Game of Thrones?” Do we risk suffering and death to protect the good and innocent, even when there is little reward for doing so?
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
If you love classic STORYTELLING, if you want to be transported to another world, or if you like thinking about why we love, why we live, and what’s really worth fighting for, you can’t go wrong with The Princess of Aenya.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Princess Radia Noora is parts Snow White, Jesus, and Don Quixote.
When did you first decide to become an author?
To be honest, I had decided that when I was six.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
No. If I had to guess, this is probably my fifth or sixth full-length novel. The first three are not very good, but writing is a learning process, and The Princess of Aenya could not have existed without those other books.
What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?
The hardest part is dealing with the misconception that indie books are inferior to traditionally published titles. Sometimes, good writers get lost in the shuffle, and big name publishers fail to notice them.
What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?
Writing is no different than any other art form. It takes a lifetime to master. If you wouldn’t consider picking up a violin and selling your music after only a month of practice, you shouldn’t try and do the same using a keyboard.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
I’m planning on it. Good books deserve shelf space!
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)
I want to be remembered.
Which writer, living or dead, do you most admire?
It’s a toss up between Homer, HP Lovecraft, and JRR Tolkien.
Which book do you wish you could have written?
The NeverEnding Story by Michael Ende. It’s a surprisingly deep tale, and the movie, great as it is, only scratches the surface.